Belagavi (Karnataka): Former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettar is contesting the Lok Sabha elections on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from the Belagavi constituency.
Before the assembly elections in Karnataka last year, he had joined the Congress party and was fielded from the Hubballi-Dharwad Central assembly seat on a Congress ticket. Although he lost the assembly polls, the grand old party nominated him in the legislative council. However, Shettar has resigned as a Congress MLC and rejoined the BJP now. The Congress party has fielded Mrinal Hebbalkar – who is making his first major electoral debut – opposite Shettar.
In an exclusive interview with The Wire in Belagavi on the campaign trail, Shettar underlined why the BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and why he thinks unemployment isn’t an issue this election since “it is a universal problem” and the prime minister has introduced schemes like “Make in India and Startup India” to create “self-employment” opportunities.
Edited excerpts from the interview:
During the Karnataka assembly elections last year, the Lingayat community backed the Congress party. What is your strategy to get the support of the Lingayat voters back in the state in general and Belagavi in particular?
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty
Last time some people drifted towards the Congress party. But overall Lingayats in Karnataka always support the BJP and the national leadership. As far as this parliamentary election is concerned, people of all castes, including Lingayats, are supporting Modiji. He has to become the third-time prime minister.
With respect to issues in the state of Karnataka, the Congress party is sort of riding a popularity wave due to the guarantees. On the other hand, the BJP is banking on Modi’s image and asking for a third term for him. So don’t you think that the BJP is moving away from real issues like price rise and unemployment that are actually bothering the public and only banking on Modi’s image?
No, because we are taking the backing of Modiji as his leadership is like that, Modiji’s image [stature] has increased a lot if you compare to the other leaders in the entire nation. Modiji is number one in the world, he is also the number one leader.
So, we have to showcase to the public the performance of the Modi government. If you see when he comes to any city and while he travels from the airport to any guest house, you see the [reaction of the] public, they come and greet him naturally during roadshows and these unarranged roadshows are different.
In case of unarranged roadshows also, a lot of people around 1,000 people, come and gather to greet Modiji, it shows his popularity as a political party leader. Why should we not take advantage of the popularity of the leader?
Jagadish Shettar is banking on Modi’s image to win the general election as he is being projected as an “outsider” in Belagavi. Photo: Special arrangement
But if we look at the data then we see that unemployment has increased and even inequality is rising under Modi’s rule. India’s richest 1% holds 40% of wealth.
Unemployment is a universal problem, not only in our country but abroad also, a lot of other countries like America, England and China are also [facing this issue].
You are thinking [of] unemployment and considering only government jobs, even private sectors are giving most of the jobs and creating employment [opportunities now].
There’s independent earning in certain professions, businesses and that is also employment.
Modiji has given the scope of self-employment also, so many schemes like Make in India and Startup India create a lot of employment. We shouldn’t limit our thinking. It [has] created an atmosphere like that.
So even regarding Modiji’s image, everybody, youngsters and people of all ages support Modiji.
Why were you not given a ticket from your home turf Hubli-Dharwad this election? You are instead contesting from the Belagavi constituency.
I’m a former chief minister. I am a six-time MLA and was the leader of opposition. I have had contact with people for the last 30 years. So as an acquaintance of this area, [the party] naturally preferred me from here, and people also accepted me as a candidate and they wish for me to be elected as a parliamentary member [from here].
The Congress party is projecting you as an outsider here. Do you think that will work?
How [can] Congress [do that]?
Siddaramaiah contested from Badami and he is from Mysore, Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Kerala and Sonia Gandhi contested from Rae Bareli, even Indira Gandhi in the earlier days contested from Chikmagalur.
Congress has to answer this question first. If you see neighbouring districts, minister Shivanand Patil’s daughter [Samyukta Patil] is contesting from Bagalkot. Then why are all these Congress members contesting from different constituencies?
There are several reports which indicate that there is severe infighting within the BJP. Even when you left before the last assembly election and joined the Congress party and contested assembly polls on a Congress ticket, you had blamed B.L. Santosh for the move. So what is your equation with Santosh now?
I don’t want to discuss what [has] happened a year back, I don’t want to discuss it.
But what is your equation with Santosh at present?
I don’t want to discuss anything regarding that issue.
The videos and photos related to Prajwal Revanna’s sexual assaults were going around much before the entire episode was reported by the media. Several reports suggest that the BJP leadership knew that Prajwal had sexually assaulted multiple women and was a serial abuser. Then why was he given a ticket to contest the election from Hassan constituency by the NDA [National Democratic Alliance]? And why did the prime minister also campaign for him?
I personally don’t know, I have no information.
If they [BJP central leadership] had knowledge of the issue, then they would not have allowed it, I think they had no knowledge about it.
Only the news is spreading here now. If you make a mistake, the legal process will be there. You will be punished. It is a personal problem.
Siddaramaiah has requested the Centre to withdraw Prajwal’s diplomatic passport. Why is it not done yet?
Whatever legal process is there the [Union] government will do it.
BJP candidate Jagadish Shettar during a campaign trail in Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency. Photo: Special arrangement
In his recent speeches, Prime Minister Modi talked about redistribution of wealth and said that if the Congress party comes to power then they will snatch property from the Hindus and give it to Muslims. It is a wrong narrative since the Congress party manifesto doesn’t mention anything like this. So, don’t you think it’s a bit wrong for the prime minister to attack one community like this?
Have you seen what Sam Pitroda has said? He has made a statement which shows the mindset of the Congress party.
But after that, many Congress leaders have also clarified that they don’t agree with Sam Pitroda and aren’t thinking of inheritance tax as suggested by Pitroda.
Clarified what? Hidden agenda? Congress’s hidden agenda is [that]. When Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister he had implemented almost all his [Pitroda’s] plans.
I know you said you don’t want to talk about it, but then the voters might have the question in mind that you went to the Congress in between and then joined the BJP only recently. So what do you have to say to the voters?
Many meetings and gatherings happened, and the public is happy that I’m back with the BJP. I went to [the] Congress for a limited period, nobody is questioning now. This question was not raised anywhere in my public life so far.
